By the time Mercy Wu took over as chairman of the Eslite Group in 2017, she had had years of experience—having joined the company in 2004 before being put in charge of the company’s day-to-day operations and expansion efforts by her father, founder Robert C.Y. Wu, in 2010.

Eslite pioneered the 24-hour bookstore concept, starting with its Dunnan Road branch in Taipei in 1999. But when Wu took the helm, Eslite had lost NT$2 billion in 15 years. It was under her leadership that the company expanded into other areas—with the bookstore always at its centre—in order to survive. It has now grown to 43 stores in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Suzhou, and Tokyo, attracting more than 200 million visitors a year. The brand has grown to retail channels, lifestyle brands, arts and cultural performances, galleries, hotels, restaurants, and residences.